Chinese police kill man who took toddler hostage

SHANGHAI, June 6 (Reuters) Chinese police shot dead a man who had taken a four-year-old girl hostage at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in northwestern Shanghai, after he tried to injure the toddler, official media reported today.

Police negotiated with the unidentified middle-aged man for over six hours after he seized the child at 1240 ist when her mother stepped away to buy food.

But his mood got worse as the evening drew on, p.m. he attacked the girl with a knife, forcing the police to shoot, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The girl escaped unharmed and has been reunited with her mother, who had been evacuated from the restaurant earlier.

Earlier reports had said the girl was three years old.

A Reuters witness estimated that 300 to 400 people had gathered around the cordoned-off restaurant, blocking nearby traffic, as the incident unfolded. They included armed policemen in black uniforms.

Police are still investigating the man's identity and his motives, Xinhua said. No representative of the Shanghai city government was available to comment on the reports.

REUTERS AM RK2116